East Asian nations agree to protect RI workers

JAKARTA (JP): Governments in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong have agreed to formally provide legal protection to Indonesians working in their countries, a senior official of the Ministry of Manpower said.

Suwarto, director general for Industrial Relations and Labor Standards, told The Jakarta Post this week that the three East Asian countries have accepted a proposal to draw up standard working contracts for Indonesian workers employed there.

"Under these contracts, the position of our workers will be clearer and stronger, vis-a-vis employers and employment agencies who recruit them," he said.

The principle agreements were secured during a recent visit by Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief to the three countries which, together, employ about 27,000 Indonesians -- 7,000 in South Korea, 6,000 in Taiwan and 13,000 in Hong Kong.

Suwarto, who accompanied the minister on the tour, said that the official delegation also met with Indonesian workers in those countries to discuss some of the problems they are encountering.

Indonesia has already signed such an agreement with Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, two major destinations for Indonesian workers.

The contract with Saudi Arabia details the rights and obligations of Indonesian workers and their employers, while the one with Malaysia reaffirms that Indonesian workers are protected under the Malaysian labor laws.

Suwarto said the standard working contracts for South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong will stipulate workers' rights, the minimum wages that they are paid, labor standards and the rights and obligations of workers as stipulated in their labor laws.

The contracts are virtually a formality because Indonesian workers in those three countries are already protected by the local labor laws, and are not discriminated against, he said.

However, they will still be a valuable document to contain the problems of Indonesian workers being abused by their foreign employers. Several cases of abuse against Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong have been reported in recent years.

In terms of salary, Suwarto said most Indonesian workers in Hong Kong receive about HK$5,000 a month (Rp 1.5 million), which is higher than the HK$3,750 set as the minimum wage level. "They also work set hours and get one day off each week," he said.

Most Indonesian workers in Taiwan are employed in manufacturing industries and some as house maids. In South Korea, the majority are employed as trainees in local manufacturing companies. (rms)